yet we still insist on using a full address when writing to someone, when quite often just a house number and a post code is all that is needed.

You can just use postcode and house number - and many people do when putting a return address on a parcel - but a slight mistake will mean the letter (possibly) going astray. Better to put full address on, including name, house number, street, district, post town, post code AND county (if it helps to identify between identically named towns).

"There are now more Trident submarines based in Scotland than there are MPs to vote for them."

Very rarely but I'm talking about the sender making a mistake in the post code. A slight error in the post code would mean that the mail would be mis-delivered; if the rest of the address information is there you can easily spot the mistake. Not even errors: our delivery office gets a fair amount of mis-directed mail because the DH post code can look like PH if written sloppily. The rest of the address highlights the error.

"There are now more Trident submarines based in Scotland than there are MPs to vote for them."

i take your point but even with the right full postal address our postie regularly puts our post through other peoples letter boxes whilst at the same time putting poorly addressed ones through ours. I think he is messing with our minds!

Life is like a sewer: What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.

i take your point but even with the right full postal address our postie regularly puts our post through other peoples letter boxes whilst at the same time putting poorly addressed ones through ours. I think he is messing with our minds!

Human error, what're ye going to do? Your postie probably isn't following procedures, ie give the mail you've got in yer paw one last check that it's for this address. Even then, however, when 'automatic pilot' kicks in...

"There are now more Trident submarines based in Scotland than there are MPs to vote for them."

i take your point but even with the right full postal address our postie regularly puts our post through other peoples letter boxes whilst at the same time putting poorly addressed ones through ours. I think he is messing with our minds!

We got a Christmas card addressed to "Richard and Jane". No stamp, no address, but it got here.